Fire safety group hosting a `Great Escape' contest

Orem residents who take the time to plan the best way out in the event of a fire can win big in two ways.

They'll know how to get out when minutes matter and they might be the winners of a free trip to Walt Disney World.The contest is sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and is part of the activities planned by Orem's fire department for Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4-10.

Residents are invited to develop and submit a home escape plan to Fire Station No. 1, 300 E. 1000 South. Chief Lynn Rowley will then select one and send it on to the association's national office. In November, one plan will be randomly selected and up to four people will receive the free trip, sponsored by KIDDE Safety, a leading manufacturer of home safety products.

In planning an escape route, fire spokesman Dave Eckersley says residents should pick up a mapping grid provided by the fire department.

The grid includes the official entry form to the association's contest.

"The Great Escape is a fun activity for entire families to participate in during Fire Prevention Week, but it also could save their lives," Eckersley said. "If a fire breaks out in your home, you and your family only have a few minutes to escape safely. Home fire escape planning and practice ensures that everyone in the household will know how to use that small window of opportunity effectively and get out alive."

Orem families are encouraged not only to develop a plan but to practice that plan on the day of The Great Escape, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.

Mari-K Appy, National Fire Protection Association vice president of public education, said a 1997 home escape survey showed only 16 percent of the people responding actually practiced their escape plans.

"These findings demonstrate that most people are not well prepared if a fire does occur in their home. Our hope is that The Great Escape motivates people to begin thinking about fire safety in a positive, proactive way and to start practicing their home escape plans regularly, at least twice a year."